The Osceola times., 1887-04-16

'e"cher icu us up the narrow staircase
OF very dilapidated building, and
brought US. at the end of the third
flight. in kind of loft where a
wretched-looking middle-aged woman
was nursing sick child. The Italian
teacher asked after a child which had
been attending the school, and tho
woman promised to send it next morn
ing. This lof was badly lighted, and
not ventilated at all. l did not notice
any bad odors, but this must have been
an accident. 1t was the living. eating,
and sleeping-room of three families
Z ming down the staircase, we noticed
on the first floor sde-entrance to a
saloon where "beer" was for sale at "a
cent pint!h On the steps stood rough
looking man Of forty, apparently an
American. quarreling with and cursing
young negro woman who was stand
ing, not ten feet away, on the steps of
the building across the court. The ne
gress did not allow herself to be out
done in the use of strong language,
IL is in this section that the Italian
school of the Children's Aid. Society is
doing its work. Although New York
nominally has compulsory education,
the law is of necessity loosely enforced,
and, as a matter of fact, scarcely en-
forced at all, in these districts Very
young children are kept at work. espe-
cially at cigar-making and rag-p cking,
and the law permits this in case they
can show fourteen Weeks half-time at
tendance, The society's school is able
to reach children who could not attend
the public schools. The simple lunch
which is given is an immense assistance
to some Of the parents. One large
Dom of the building is devoted to n
kindergarten, while in another are the
little infants whose older sisters must
otherwise have stayed at home to care
for them. The school has over four
hundred children in attendance. They
are so small in stature as to give the
visitor the impression of being exceed
ingly bright, and the teachers enthusi-
astically assert t at they are brighter
than American children. So far as
drawing was concerned, the boast was
well substantiated. Notwithstanding
that the children are taken out of
school so very young (the boys to work
and the girls to be MARKEDLY, the school
is able to make a most admirable show
ing in the way of free-hand drawing
and designing, and also in the kindred
work of wood-carving, lace-work and
embroidery.
1t is not possible 10 enter into a
detailed account of the work done by
the school In the daytime its work is
among the little children, and at night
among the older boys and girls. All
of the Italian children seem to take A
great deal of pride in their school.
While l was talking with the princi-
pal, two of the older boys from
the night school came in to
see about an entertainment which some
of them were getting up for the benefit
Of the rest of the school. The boys
were good.looking and neatly dressed.
Their clothes. however, were plain, and
the principal told me that the only boy
in the night school who wore collar
was called "the dude"
The influence which goes out from
this school can easily be imagined, The
parents of most of the children are un-
able even To speak English. They take
no newspapers, they attend no churches.
The school is almost the only civilizing
influence which is brought to bear upon
the children's lives. What is best about
the work Of the school is that, at the
same time that it fits the children mem
tally for higher station in life, it fits
them industrialy for it. In the sewing
room the girls are taught not only to
make their own dresses, but to handle
II machi e. One little girl not over
fourteen told me that she coull earn
over dollar day making shirts. The
school furnishes the machines, which
cost about twenty-five dollars each, and
thr learners who have had n little prac-
tice are set to work sewing shirts for
the factories. They receive but fifty
cents d zen, but they soon learn to
make good deal more money than
their mothers are making at rag-pick-
ing. The wretchedness of sewing wo-
men who are not skilled laborers is, as
is well known, wretched beyond de-
scripton, and the school which enables
girls of this class to earn decent and
honorable living is doing a work which
is invaluable. - George 7oiimaN, in
(Lyi sfiU, TTnjon